


Smoke and Mirrors

by VigilantShadow



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone: Amnesty (Podcast)
Genre: Dani POV, F/F, Human Barclay, Human Dani, I couldn't do that I'm a soft man, I say ships tagged as they appear, I'm just gonna say Barclay and Mama aren't evil, M/M, Roleswap? I guess?, Sylph Aubrey, THIS fic probably has. two, gay activity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 09:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17958092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VigilantShadow/pseuds/VigilantShadow
Summary: Kepler's not the kind of town that sees a lot of strangers. So when The Lady Flame sweeps into town, Dani can't help but be drawn to her. But it turns out Aubrey has a secret, and it's a secret that might put them both at odds with the ones Dani holds dear.ORBarclay and Mama protect Kepler from monsters. In this world, their definition of monster is a little different.





	1. Sunshine Smile

**Author's Note:**

> Ty to FaiaHae for the betas. I would be deceased without you.

A fair amount of people passed by Kepler. There were the families looking to go skiing up on Mount Kepler, both at the normal resort and at the one nobody in town could afford. There were the roadtrippers who ran out of gas and pulled into the station up on Pine near the edge of town. There were the occasional guests that kept Ned Chicane’s old museum running despite all odds. Dani gave them directions sometimes, had inane conversations with them on ski lifts, ignored college boys on road trips that catcalled her at the gas station. But the exact details of their names and faces always faded within a few hours. They never ventured further in, never got to the heart of Kepler. Just passing through.

Kepler wasn’t the sort of town people moved to. At least, not as far as Dani was concerned. It was the sort of town that people were born in, lived in, had kids in, died in. There was an exception or two, of course, because rules didn’t exist without an exception or two. Ned up at his old museum was one, and Ms. M from the grocers. Barclay, too, though she hadn’t found out he was from someplace else until she was almost an adult. But even with that in mind, they weren’t _really_ from out of town. They’d been in Kepler since before Dani could really process the fact that there _was_ anything outside of Kepler. They were dug into the town. She couldn’t picture it without them.

It was a suffocating feeling, sometimes, knowing everyone. Well, she didn’t know everyone, but it felt like it. It made mistakes hard to take back. But it was also nice, because it meant nobody was a stranger. Dani had never much liked being strangers with people.

For example, she very much wished that the woman who had just walked into Amnesty Lodge wasn’t a stranger.

Mrs. Granger, the art teacher at Kepler High, used to say some people had auras. They stepped into a room and the air around them glowed. She said the best artists were people that could set that light down on paper. That was why the best portraits made people stand there and stare for hours: they couldn’t help but soak it in.

Dani had believed that, because it sounded like a wonderful thing and there was no reason to think it a lie. She thought she’d glimpsed it in the way Mama shaped wood under her strong hands, the way Jake’s smile gleamed as he skidded to a stop at the bottom of a ski slope.

But this stranger? She outshone the _sun_.

“Hi,” the woman smiled, and it somehow made her even brighter. “Is there, like, a place to check in?”

“What?” Dani asked, shaking herself out of the thought that she very much wanted to draw the woman’s orange-gold eyes.

“This is a hotel right?” The woman suddenly looked nervous. “There was the, uh, sign out front, and I just assumed.”

Oh god. Being flustered made her cuter. This was terrible.

“No, it is,” Dani insisted, smiling in a way she hoped looked reassuring and not completely dorky. “We just don’t, uh, get a lot of visitors.”

The woman breathed a sigh of relief. It was then that Dani noticed the rabbit perched on her shoulder. How had Dani not noticed a _rabbit_ perched on her _shoulder_? Moira would tease her about it later, she was sure.

“Oh!” The woman said, holding out her hand. “I just realized I don’t know your name! And I’d, uh, like to?” The woman blinked rapidly, “Uh, because that’s. Polite?”

“I’m Dani,” Dani said, taking her hand. It was warm, warmer than a person’s hand should’ve been. But somehow, it didn’t feel feverish. It felt like she had a hearth fire under her skin. Like the sun. Oh god, Dani kept making sun similes. This wasn’t like her at _all._

“Aubrey Little,” Aubrey announced. “But my stage name’s _The Lady Flame_.”

As she said that, she snapped the fingers of her free hand and sparks jumped to life between them. Dani flinched, but Aubrey’s smile brightened again. She wiggled her fingers, and Dani caught sight of a little bit of flash paper between them.

Dani realized they were still holding hands.

“You’re a magician?” She asked as she, regrettably, let go. Aubrey didn’t look like the magicians from TV, or Mr. Crane who came into Kepler Elementary to do card tricks, or even the illusionist she’d gone to see a few times up in Elkins. Maybe it was just that she wasn’t in costume, but Dani had a hard time imagining Aubrey in a top hat and suit. Even though she could definitely pull it off. She looked like a person at home in herself, in the patch-covered black denim jacket – Dani caught sight of a bisexual pride flag and felt a thrill of what she told herself was just the excitement of seeing someone like her but was definitely actually hope – and the black choker with an orange crystal glimmering in the center.

“Yep! And this is my assistant,” Aubrey held up the hand that her rabbit wasn’t sitting on, and he hopped down to it. She cradled him in her arms. “His name is Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD.”

She said it so earnestly Dani couldn’t even find the title strange.

“What’s his doctorate in?” She asked, instead of laughing. The way Aubrey smiled told her she’d picked the right question.

“Philosophy! He got it at Vassar.”

“Well, I’ll have you know Amnesty Lodge accepts rabbit customers,” Dani said, “I mean. I think. I'm not sure we’ve ever had one.”

“No, we haven’t,” Mama said as she stepped out of her office.

Dani tried to communicate to Mama how much she wanted Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD to be allowed at the lodge.

“I always clean up after him,” Aubrey said, and Dr. Bonkers blinked in agreement.

Mama squinted. It was the look she usually gave Jake when she was trying to decide if the stunt he’d just pulled was worth grounding him over.

“Well, I suppose I can’t argue with that. Gonna need a pet deposit, though.”

Aubrey nodded.

“Totally fair! I can’t _stand_ it when people don’t keep their pets clean, it gives all of us a bad name.”

Mama raised an appraising eyebrow at Aubrey.

“Oh!” Aubrey said. “I’m being rude again! I’m Aubrey Little!”

That got a smile out of Mama. Or maybe it was the way Aubrey carefully shifted Dr. Bonkers to hold out a hand.

“You can call me Mama. I run this place.” Mama turned to Dani. “You think you can get her all squared away, Dani?”

Dani nodded. Mama _winked_ at her, then went back into her office.

“So, uh. I’ll go find you a key,” Dani said quickly, rushing over to the check-in desk so Aubrey wouldn’t see how she’d just blushed. There were only a couple of keys in the drawer, which was kind of dusty on account of, well. Nobody was ever actually a _guest_ at Amnesty Lodge. Dani wondered how Aubrey had even heard about them.

Well, that wasn't important, because she had. Dani spread out the available keys and frowned thoughtfully, wondering if she should abuse her power to pick Aubrey’s room. Who was she kidding, of course she should. She grabbed the key that would put Aubrey right across the hall from her and went back to the lobby.

Aubrey was standing where Dani left her. Which made sense, because it had only been a minute, but part of Dani was convinced she’d imagined the cute girl that had wandered into the lobby with her bi pride flag and her adorable rabbit.

“So,” Dani said. “The rooms are off to either side. You’re gonna be on the left, across from me.” Aubrey looked pleased at that, or at least value neutral. Dani would count it as a win. “Most everyone actually _lives_ here, so we’ll have to introduce you at dinner. That’ll be out here. Uh, is there anything you can’t eat?”

“I’m a vegetarian,” Aubrey said, clutching Dr. Bonkers’ close to her chest.

“Oh, yeah, we can deal with that. Let’s see, what else? Um, it’s a little bit of a ways to town, but I can show you around there once you've got your room set up. If you like?” Her voice most definitely did _not_ crack on that last question.

“Yeah,” Aubrey said, grinning, “yeah, I’d love that.”

“Cool! Great! That’s. That’s good. Anyway, I think that’s it? There’s not all that much that goes on around here, really. Amnesty’s pretty quiet.”

Aubrey nodded. Then, she got a curious look on her face.

“Hey, uh…what’s that door?” She asked, pointing behind Dani. Dani turned and caught sight of a heavy oak door. It didn't look like any of the others in the house. That was on purpose, because it wasn't _like_ any of the others in the house.

“That?” Dani asked, ignoring the vague feel of unease she got whenever she looked at that particular doorway. “That’s just the hot springs. No one…really goes in there.”

“Why not?”

“Dunno,” she said, after spending way too long trying to look for an answer. Saying _it gives everyone the creeps_ didn’t seem like the right words in this situation. “We just don’t.”

“Hmm,” Aubrey had a distant look on her face. Dr. Bonkers did too, his red eyes glistening like gemstones. They both stared at the door for even longer than Dani had searched for an answer. In that moment the planes of Aubrey’s face looked too solid, like she was one of Mama’s sculptures.

Then it dissolved, and her sunshine smile was back.

“Well, guess every place needs a mystery or two, huh?” She guided Dr. Bonkers back to her shoulder and picked up the suitcase Dani had forgotten she’d been carrying. “Anyway, show me to my room?”

 


	2. The Color of Her Eyes

“I’ve got a couple things to put away,” Aubrey said once they reached her new room, leaning against the doorframe and smiling in a way that was totally unfair. “Then, um. Is the offer of a tour still open?”

Her grin had gone crooked as she said that, almost goofy. It looked even better than the smooth one she’d been wearing just a second ago. Dani nodded, hoping she’d come up with words that weren’t horrifically embarrassing by the time Aubrey finished unpacking.

“Of course,” Dani managed, and her voice sounded normal. Thank  _ god.  _ Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD watched her in what Dani hoped was approval. She spared him a smile as well. So unfair. How had the universe known rabbits were Dani’s favorite animal?

It was then she noticed Aubrey staring at her, eyes scrunched up a little at their edges. Dani bit her lip and met Aubrey’s gaze, and for a moment they just looked at one another. Would it be creepy to try and sketch the eyes of a girl she’d just met? It felt like it might be creepy, but the color was like nothing she’d ever seen.

“I’ll see you in a couple minutes, then,” Aubrey said, breaking Dani’s concentration. Dani nodded again. There was definitely a normal way to answer that, and she definitely knew it.

“Yeah, see you.”

Okay, that wasn’t  _ terrible. _

Aubrey shut the door slowly, and then Dani was alone in the hallway. She took a deep breath. Alright, time to go wait in the lobby and pretend she had a chance of staying level-headed about this whole thing.

She found her favorite table, one next to a window facing the deep green pines behind the lodge. She’d spent her whole life trying to recreate them on her sketchpad, but the exact hue escaped her. Dani had always liked a bit of challenge, when it came to art.

That thought had her circling back around to Aubrey and her bright eyes. Dani gazed out at the forest, trying to place what they looked like. It was definitely some kind of gemstone, but she hadn’t quite grasped what kind yet. Hopefully, she had a while to figure it out.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Dani startled, and it took her a second to place the voice as Barclay. He was standing next to her table, looking just a little amused. Dani smiled back, her heartbeat calming instantly. Even if he’d surprised her, her body knew not to be scared of Barclay. After all, aside from spooking her just a little, she was pretty sure he’d never hurt anybody in his life.

She sighed, letting her forehead fall onto the table in front of her. It made her feel fourteen again, pining after girls in her class that she had absolutely no chance with, even though in this case she was twenty-three and most likely had at least one-sixth of a chance.

“There’s a girl staying at the lodge, Barclay,” she told the table. She heard the creak of the chair across from her as Barclay sat, then felt the soft vibration of him settling his arms on the table in her cheek.

“Is there?” Barclay asked. “That must’ve been what Mama meant when she said to make extra.”

“She’s vegetarian,” Dani mumbled, still into the table.

“Noted.”

“She’s also cute,” Dani admitted. She sat back up, and Barclay  _ definitely  _ looked amused with her. She frowned at him. “She is!”

“I’m sure.”

“She’s got a rabbit, Barclay.”

“I can see why you’re having problems, then.”

Dani leaned back in her chair and tried to come up with a way to explain Aubrey Little that didn’t sound silly. Which was hard, given that she’d only known Aubrey Little for like five minutes and so technically this  _ was  _ silly. She was ignoring that.

“So,” Barclay continued, graciously pretending he didn’t notice her distress. “There a reason why a cute girl with a rabbit is staying at Amnesty Lodge?”

“No idea,” Dani admitted. “She says she’s a magician.”

Barclay hummed thoughtfully, like that explained everything. It didn’t. Amnesty Lodge didn’t get visitors, and Kepler didn’t get touring magicians. Unless Aubrey was looking for a place to settle in, which would be excellent but also pretty unlikely.

Kepler didn’t get a lot of strangers.

“Hey,” Dani said, after a minute. “Weird question, but…” She trailed off, feeling vaguely silly. Barclay raised an eyebrow at her, which meant she couldn’t pretend she’d never asked. “Is there a reason nobody goes in the hot springs?”

It felt like a stupid question. Well, no. The question itself wasn’t stupid. Now that she was thinking about it, it was a very  _ reasonable  _ one. The stupid thing was the fact that it’d taken her so long to ask, to think “hey, why do we have a perfectly openable door in the lodge that nobody ever goes through?” Why had she never tried to go through it? She and Jake had  _ grown up  _ in the lodge, and between the two of them they’d skinned their knees and climbed over every inch of the property. Except that door.

Barclay leaned to the side, staring around her at the door in question. His mouth was a thin, thoughtful line.

“You know, I actually have no idea,” he said. Even if Barclay were prone to lying, Dani would have believed that answer. There was a surprise in his voice she didn’t think someone could fake. “I suppose it’s just, you know…” He gestured, and she didn’t need to ask about that sentence. Standing too close to the door felt uneasy, which still didn’t explain why she and Jake had never tried to open it as kids but  _ almost  _ explained why no one went inside.

“Why do we keep the door then?” She asked. Not because she thought he knew the answer, but because once again she was realizing it was a question nobody had thought to ask.

“Maybe it-“

He was cut off by the sound of combat boots clomping down the hall toward them. It was Aubrey, wearing a different set of clothes – aside from her jacket and choker – and still carrying Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD. Aubrey waved enthusiastically at her, and Dani waved back.

“You all done unpacking?” Dani asked. Once again, she managed to sound composed somehow.

“Yep! All my stuff is in the dressers, and Dr. Bonkers’ bed is all set up too.”

Dr. Bonkers blinked in agreement.

Barclay half-turned in his seat, raising a hand in a wave.

“You must be Aubrey Little.”

“That’s me,” Aubrey said cheerily. She made her way over to the table and stood in front of it, just a little bit closer to Dani’s side than Barclay’s. Dani tried to ignore that.

“I’m Barclay. I do all the cooking around here.” Barclay pushed himself his feet, holding out a hand for Aubrey to shake. She took it, and Dani was bizarrely happy at how briefly they touched. It was much shorter than the handshake she and Aubrey had exchanged earlier, which probably meant absolutely nothing. That didn’t stop her from blushing just a little bit thinking about it. “You don’t have to worry about the meat thing, by the way. I’ve got that handled.”

“You don’t need to, if it’s a bother. I can get something in town.”

“Aw, don’t say that Aubrey,” Dani cut in. “Nothing makes Barclay sadder than not being able to cook for people.” Barclay laughed and circled the table for the express purpose of ruffling her hair.

“Now don’t go telling the guests all my weaknesses, Dani.”

Dani blew her now-messy hair out of her eyes, and it was then that he caught sight of Aubrey watching them with something that might’ve been longing in her eyes. If it wasn’t longing, then it was some kind of melancholy. Dani didn’t like it. Aubrey caught her looking and smiled, and Dani wouldn’t have known she was upset if she hadn’t already seen.

“I swear on my life,” Aubrey said solemnly, “that I will neither reveal your secret nor eat anywhere else when I have the option to come here.” She held up Dr. Bonkers’ paw. “And Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD swears also.”

Barclay laughed.

“You don’t gotta swear on your life, I’ll settle for swearing you’ll bring Dani back in time for dinner.”

Aubrey nodded solemnly, depositing Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD onto her shoulder and holding up her hand.

“I solemnly swear that we will be back in time for dinner.”

Barclay nodded back.

“Then go enjoy yourselves.” Barclay turned his head so Aubrey couldn’t see his face and winked at Dani. “Dani, make sure you make Kepler look good.” Dani hoped Aubrey couldn’t see her blush.

“I’ll try my best,” she said, and tried not to look too eager as she got to her feet. Aubrey padded over to her, bouncing slightly as she walked. As they made their way to the door, Dani swore she could feel the warm presence of Aubrey behind her. And also, Barclay grinning at her back.

If Aubrey Little didn’t kill her, the residents of the lodge just might.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was gonna be more plot to this, then Dani continued to be Excessively Gay and i couldnt STOP her.


	3. The Heat of Her Breath

Dani and Aubrey were quiet most of the ride to Kepler proper, but it was a content sort of quiet. Well, content on Dani’s side at least. Aubrey seemed happy too, her fingers drumming excitedly on the steering wheel. There was no radio, and not just because of the Quiet Zone. The radio had been removed from the car and the hole covered in black duct tape. Dani wanted to ask about it, but it seemed like a “second jaunt into town” sort of question.

“So,” Aubrey said cheerfully, a minute or two before they were due to arrive in town. “Was that your dad, back there?”

“You mean Barclay?”

“Yeah.” Aubrey frowned just a little. “Sorry if he isn’t, I shouldn’t have assumed-“

“No, it’s fine, he’s-“

“He just really seemed like-“

They both stopped talking.

“You first,” Dani said.

“No, you can go,” Aubrey replied.

A moment passed, neither of them speaking.

“He’s not _technically,_ ” Dani answered. “Biologically I mean. Or legally. But, uh, Jake – you’ll probably meet him soon – Jake and I have both been there since we were little. And everyone except you’s been living there longer than the two of us, so uh. He’s kind of our dad? I mean. A lot of people are kind of our parents.”

“Lucky, I only got the two.” Aubrey was smiling, and her voice was light, but Dani thought she could feel that same melancholy from earlier. “Is it the same with Mama?”

“Mama’s special.” Dani pursed her lips, trying to come up with a way to describe it to someone who wasn’t from around here. She had the feeling it’d take a while.

“If you don’t wanna explain, you don’t gotta,” Aubrey said. “I was only asking because, well. You and he were cute, back there.”

“Thanks?”

“Me and my dad don’t…talk anymore, really.” Definitely melancholy. It was probably Dani’s imagination, but it was almost like the color of Aubrey’s eyes had gotten darker. Like the light burning behind them had dimmed a bit.

Dani tried to resist the urge to reach out. She really did. Despite the handshake incident, Dani didn’t _know_ whether Aubrey was okay with touching. But something about the distant misery on Aubrey’s face had her placing a hand on Aubrey’s shoulder. Thankfully, Aubrey leaned into it _just a bit_ and she shot Dani a grateful look.

“It’s fine, really,” Aubrey said. “We just had some, uh, disagreements about what I should do with my life, after…” She trailed off, sighing, and Dani gave her shoulder a squeeze.

“Um, I know we just met but. If you want talk, I’m here.”

Aubrey’s smile came back. Dimmer than before, but still real.

“Thanks. Really, thanks. That…that means more than you think it might.”

Aubrey was definitely stammering, right?

“Oh, wow, look, we’re here in town now,” Aubrey continued, most definitely stammering. Dani knew she should probably remove her hand from Aubrey’s shoulder, but she’d been struck by a very welcome realization and she needed time to process it.

“You can park in that lot over there,” she said with the half of her brain that wasn’t trying to formulate a very important question, bringing up her free hand to point toward Ms. M’s store. Aubrey obeyed, and as she set the car in park Dani tried her best to casually trail her fingers down Aubrey’s arm until her hand came to rest atop Aubrey’s.

Aubrey squeaked. Dani hoped it meant she succeeded in looking casual. Dani hoped it was a _good_ squeak.

Dani realized that in this case hoping wasn’t going to get her anywhere. So instead, she smiled nervously at Aubrey – who she hoped was in fact blushing.

“Again, I know we just met but…could I, maybe…”

“Oh my gosh, yes,” Aubrey said, darting forward to kiss her. She was a little _too_ eager, though, and instead ended up yelping as her seatbelt locked and jerked her back. Dani snorted. Aubrey blushed more, but thankfully didn’t seem offended about being laughed at.

“Hold on,” Dani said, reaching across her body with her free hand – letting go of Aubrey’s before it was necessary was just out of the question – to unbuckle both their seatbelts. Getting to Aubrey’s was a little awkward, but… “Alright, let’s, uh, give that another try?”

Aubrey grinned, fire-bright, removing her hand from under Dani’s. As they both leaned forward toward each other, Aubrey tangled her fingers into Dani’s hair with that hand, and Dani could feel the heat of Aubrey’s skin against her scalp.

Dani had a moment to think _hm, I’d never thought about whether I liked hair pulling,_ and then Aubrey’s lips were on hers.

It was a slow kiss. A simple kiss. An unbelievably hot kiss. They parted for air, just for a moment, and Dani discovered it was _literally_ a hot kiss, and Aubrey’s breath was just as warm as the rest of her. Maybe that should have come off as strange. But no, it was just incredible. Dani curled one hand in the collar of Aubrey’s jacket and went in again. There was a slight clack of teeth, because Aubrey was smiling. Dani didn’t let that put her off.

There was a knock at the window. A very specific pattern of knocks on the window. Dani groaned into Aubrey’s mouth, not in the way she really wished she _could_ groan into Aubrey’s mouth, and opened her eyes to glare at Jake.

Aubrey took a second longer to process the sound, and thankfully she didn’t look scared about being caught. Dani would’ve understood someone not wanting to be seen in this kind of situation, but it would still hurt to be a regret.

Aubrey just looked very, very confused as she drew back, eyes darting between Dani and the window.

Jake knocked again, then pointed at the window enthusiastically. Dani rolled her eyes.

“Open it,” Dani said. “That’s my brother.”

Aubrey nodded, and from her expression Dani could tell she’d realized that explained absolutely nothing. So she was an only child, then. Aubrey reached back to roll the window down. As soon as she did, Jake leaned forward, resting his elbows on the window frame and grinning that goofy smile of his.

“Hey, Dani. Who’s this?” He asked, not bothering to flick his hair out of his eyes. Mama’d give him a look and a word about being presentable if she were with them. Mama would also have given _Dani_ a look and a word about maybe not making out with people in front of Ms. M’s store. Dani supposed Mama didn’t need to hear about any of this.

“I’m Aubrey,” Aubrey said. She sounded distantly annoyed, but only distantly. Which, thank god, Dani would have hated having to put this whole thing to a stop just because Aubrey decided she hated Jake. “I’m uh, passing through town?”

Jake looked skeptical, but also too polite to say how skeptical he was.

“She’s a magician,” Dani clarified, and Jake’s eyes lit up.

“What kind of magician?” He asked. Dani knew for a fact that the correct answer was _magician that does cool stunts._

“Uh, I do some escapes? Disappearing acts, then there’s...” Aubrey’s brow furrowed thoughtfully, which was adorable. Very, very adorable. Dani took a deep breath.

“She does some fire magic,” Dani supplied. She figured she may as well speed the conversation along to the part Jake would find the most radical. It meant she’d find out the answer to _does the cute girl get along with my idiot sibling_ faster, and also maybe that Jake would leave soon enough for Dani to get back to the whole kissing part.

It had been a struggle getting herself there, emotionally, in the first place. Dani would _really_ hate for that to go to waste.

As predicted, Jake brightened. Dani couldn’t see his eyes, but she would bet they were sparkling.

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

Jake’s excitement had apparently wiped out any trace of bad will Aubrey might hold for him. She brought up one hand and snapped, a spark jumping in between her fingers again. It was the same hand she’d used earlier. She squinted at Aubrey’s – very nice, slender – hands, and couldn’t find the flash paper which she assumed would still be there. It must have just been well hidden.

“Sweet! I’m more of a, uh, snow guy myself. I mean I don’t do magic or anything, but I’m into sick stunts!”

“I’ve never tried any snow stunts,” Aubrey mused, looking thoughtful. “I don’t know if I’d be any good at it.”

“Well, if you can do magic tricks, I’m sure you could figure something out.” Jake turned his blinding smile to Dani. “Hey, speaking of tricks. I’m gonna go to the skate park. Can you tell Barclay not to wait up for me at dinner?”

“He’ll get sad,” Dani said, trying to copy the disappointed tone Barclay would most definitely take when she told him.

Jake’s nose scrunched up.

“I _know,_ but I. You know. I have stuff I need to get up to.”

Dani was ninety-nine percent sure “stuff” meant “half-heartedly doing tricks in the skate park while watching the Hornets do stunts and wishing that things hadn’t got all mucked up by Keith Willemson, who Dani had half a mind to track down and give a stern talking to about turning perfectly nice if overly dangerous recreational sports clubs into full on gangs.” Dani may have had very specific and at times not kind opinions of the people Jake went to the skate park to stare longingly at, but if she told Jake he’d be happier if he stopped staring longingly he’d just do it even harder but without _telling_ her about it. At least this way she knew when to cover for him with Barclay.

So instead she just sighed.

“You owe me,” she said.

“Of course!” He was already bouncing away from the car, waving and jumping on a skateboard he’d apparently left lying a couple feet off. He sped off, probably faster than was street legal. Definitely faster than was street legal.

“So that was your brother?” Aubrey asked, once he’d left them properly in the dust. “He seems rad.”

“I’ll tell him you said that. Rad’s one of his favorite compliments.”

“What’s the top one?”

“Last month it was tubular.”

Aubrey covered her mouth with one hand, barely restraining her snort.

“I, oh, sorry,” she said, still laughing. “He’s your brother, so sorry but, _tubular_?”

“He really likes the 90s.”

“You know what, I admire the commitment to the aesthetic. Very on brand of him.”

“He’ll be stoked to hear you say that,” Dani said, smiling. Aubrey snorted again. “So, uh, you want the grand tour of Kepler?”

“Yeah, definitely. But…” Aubrey pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Another kiss first?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Queen_of_Mud told me to let them kiss, and so I did.


	4. Spark of Joy

Nobody was sure when Ms. M’s Grocer and Flower Shop opened up. Dani sure couldn’t remember a time it didn’t exist, and neither could Barclay or Mama when she’d asked. When she was a kid she’d thought that Kepler must’ve popped up around it, the little standalone shop sitting in the center of the universe as building after building drifted into its orbit. In the end, it hadn’t been the sheer impossibility of such a modern building existing hundreds of years ago that shattered that notion, but the realization Ms. M’s grocer’s couldn’t exist without Ms. M.

There was just something comforting, eternal, about pushing open the heavier-than-it-seemed door, the tinny bell attached to the top ringing weakly. Turning to see Ms. M herself standing behind the counter, larger than life with her broad shoulders and confident stance.

“HELLO, DANI COBB!” Ms. M called out, before the bell had even stopped ringing.

“How did she know it was you?” Aubrey whispered. “She didn’t even look!”

Aubrey sounded enchanted by that. Dani wondered if it was professional curiosity; after all, to a stranger Ms. M must seem like magic.

“Oh, that’s just how she is,” Dani whispered back, biting her lip against a smile. “Hi, Ms. M.”

“WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE ON SUCH A FINE DAY?”

“Does she _always_ yell?” Aubrey squeaked a little, a hand flying over her mouth. “Sorry, that sounded rude.”

“YES, I ALWAYS SPEAK WITH VIGOR,” Ms. M replied, grinning brightly. Everything about Ms. M was bright, as usual: her wide smile, her brown eyes, the large silver disks that dangled from her ears.

“Uh, sorry. I didn’t…think you could hear that? No, wait, that doesn’t make it better…um…” Aubrey gave up trying to justify herself smiled back nervously, blushing just a little. Dani got the feeling Aubrey blushed easily. That was _very_ cute, and the logical part of her said _hey, maybe have just a little more caution here, since when do you make out with girls the same day you meet them?_

She took a deep breath and told the logical part of her to shove it. Sure, acting on sudden crushes hadn’t worked out with Kinzie Bennett. Or Mary Williams. But one of them was straight and the other one was. Well. That didn’t count, because Mama had _hated_ Mary, and obviously didn’t mind Aubrey one bit. So it was _fine._

“IT IS NO TROUBLE, I AM AWARE THAT MY BEHAVIOR IS…” Ms. M paused, searching for a word. Which was strange. Ms. M never had to pause. “STRANGE TO THOSE UNACCUSTOMED TO ME.”

“Oh my God, how is everyone in your town so cool? I wish everyone where _I_ came from was this cool.”

“I SIMPLY ENJOY MY WORK TO THE FULLEST EXTENT AND ENDEAVOR TO ALWAYS BE MYSELF.”

“Oh. Wow. I forgot you had super ears.”

“WHERE I AM FROM, MY SENSES ARE MERELY TYPICAL.”

“Awesome,” Aubrey breathed.

“This is Ms. M,” Dani said, taking Aubrey’s hand – if there was one person she didn’t have to worry about that thing with it was…well, probably Mama, but Ms. M was somewhere near that – and made her way over to the counter. Ms. M’s eyes dropped down to their joined hands, and the sparkle that came into them as she looked back up had that little bit of tension Dani hadn’t noticed wriggling into her spine easing up.

“PLEASE, CALL ME MINERVA!” She winked at Dani. Why was everyone winking at Dani? She’d brought _plenty_ of girls to Ms. M’s, on account of it was one of three places the lodge folks hung out when they weren’t hanging out at the lodge. Ms. M never winked at _them._ “ALL COMPANIONS OF MY GOOD FRIENDS SHOULD FEEL WELCOME TO DO SO!”

“Minerva’s a great name,” Aubrey said, nodding approvingly.

“YOU AS WELL, DANI COBB,” Minerva continued, “I HAVE TOLD YOU THAT THERE IS NO NEED FOR FORMALITY BETWEEN US, AS YOU HAVE GROWN INTO AN INTELLIGENT AND TALENTED WOMAN WHO I RESPECT GREATLY.”

Dani tried her best not to scream.

“Ms. M,” Minerva tilted her head, raising one of her artfully drawn-on eyebrows meaningfully, so Dani course corrected. “Minerva, this is Aubrey, and Dr. Bonkers,” Dr. Bonkers stared at Minerva soulfully from his perch on Aubrey’s shoulder. It occurred to her suddenly that she had no idea whether Ms. M allowed rabbits in her store, but shedidn’t seem to mind. “Aubrey’s in town to do…magic?” She suddenly remembered that she’d never actually _asked._

“Yeah, that’s, uh. The idea.” Aubrey shrugged, “Honestly I…just kinda drove around West Virginia until I found a town that seemed fun.”

“I TRUST THAT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN DISAPPOINTED?”

Aubrey glanced at Dani, squeezing her hand.

“Nope, I think I’m going to like it here.”

Minerva laughed heartily.

“GOOD! I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW YOUR FIREY SOUL BRINGS EXCITEMENT TO THIS TOWN.”

“Firey?” Aubrey asked, sounding strangely worried. On her shoulder, one of Dr. Bonkers’ ears twitched forward. “What makes you, uh, say that?”

Minerva was silent for a moment. Lost for words twice in one conversation, that was _really_ a first. She hummed thoughtfully, her smile a little awkward on her face. Another unheard of thing.

“Why,” Minerva answered, only a little louder than normal. She took a deep breath, then went on more enthusiastically, “I MERELY MEANT THAT I CAN SEE YOU HAVE A SPARK OF JOY IN YOU! METAPHORICALLY! IT WOULD BE QUITE DETRIMENTAL IF YOU WERE LITERALLY ON FIRE.”

Aubrey laughed, an edge of nervousness to it. Dani felt a sudden defensiveness rise up in her. She forced herself not to act on it, because Minerva hadn’t _done_ anything. Not obviously, at least. Instead, she rubbed her hand comfortingly up and down the back of Aubrey’s hand and watched Aubrey slowly relax.

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound great,” Aubrey said. Dr. Bonkers’ ear flopped back.

“SO, CAN I HELP YOU ON THIS FINE DAY? PERHAPS YOU WISH TO BUY PICNIC SUPPLIES, I AM TOLD THAT YOUNG LO-“ Minerva cut herself off, probably at Dani’s panicked expression. _Jesus Christ_ the people of Kepler were going to _scare Aubrey off_ if they kept up like this, that was too much, too fast. “YOUNG…CLOSE…ROMANTIC?” Minerva paused for a moment, to make sure that wasn’t too much, “FRIENDS ENJOY HAVING PICNICS.”

“I was just showing her around town act-“

“Oh my gosh! You’re right!” Aubrey turned to her and grinned, “Dani, let’s have a picnic.”

Aubrey let go of Dani’s hand and dashed off, throwing an _“I’ll pay don’t worry,”_ as she disappeared down the drink aisle.

When Dani finished staring stupidly after her, she turned back to Minerva. There was a soft smile on the woman’s face, her crow’s feet wrinkling joyfully.

“You’ve found yourself a fascinating woman, Dani Cobb,” Minerva said, voice soft. “It may be too forward of me to say, but…” Aubrey rounded a corner, a bag of chips in one hand and Dr. Bonkers’ settled unruffled on her shoulder, “I think you should try to hold on to her, for a while.”

Aubrey bounced over, setting her purchases on the counter and then hopping off to the cooler of sandwiches.

 _Yeah,_ Dani didn’t say out loud, because that felt vaguely embarrassing, _Yeah, I think so too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TY to faiahae, as usual. For saving my life and my readability.  
> Also, uh. This fic. When the girls went into the grocer I realized it was going to be...much longer than intended. Oops? Hooray?


	5. Heat of Her Hands

Dani loved the woods behind Amnesty Lodge. They were a constant presence around her, beautiful and vast, and when she stared out at them she could sometimes feel something unknown moving through them. Not a bird, or the coyotes Mama sometimes had to scare off with loud noises, but something larger. When she was younger, she’d sneak out at night and lie beneath the trees, staring at the patchwork mesh of evergreen and dark sky. Back then, she’d fall asleep thinking maybe that moving thing was the forest’s heart beating.

Dani loved the woods behind Amnesty Lodge, but her relationship with the rest of the Monongahela National Forest was much more complicated. The Forest at large had never really felt like hers, never really felt like Kepler’s at all. Not when the only people from town that went were little kids on field trips, teenagers getting up to no good as far away from the cops as possible, and the rangers that worked there.

There were times she’d spy the rangers’ station as she drove out to the highway and think  _ maybe if I walk in right now it’ll feel just as magic as home. _ Then, she’d see a minivan with an out of state license plate taking up two spaces in the lot and remember that the forest, no matter how beautiful or how close, was the domain of outsiders. Those people who crawled their way around Kepler’s edge to the mountain, who stopped to hike into the heart of the forest as a pit stop on their way to someplace better. 

She could always see that was what Kepler meant to them: a stop on their way to someplace better.

Except that at that moment, as they drove down through the forest toward the station, the car was drifting off the side of the road because Aubrey was too busy staring at the deep green woods to pay attention. They pulled into the little dirt lot beside the rangers’ station and Aubrey was out of the car an instant after she pulled the key out of the ignition. Dani watched her jog around to the backseat to retrieve their picnic supplies, then realized that without any conscious thought a smile had crept onto her face.

“Can I take some of those?” Dani asked, circling the car and trying not to laugh as Aubrey tried to balance the handful of reusable grocery bags, a blanket she’d seemingly conjured out of nowhere, and Dr. Bonkers. Dani ran her hand along the side of the car as she went, fingers gathering dust from the trail as they traced the dings and divots of that marked the front bumper. Dani thought it must have been a new car, but one that had been run ragged in its short lifespan. She wondered how long Aubrey had been on the road, how many places she’d gone and how many fun little towns she’d slid into.

It had to be a lot. Had to be more than Aubrey could remember, more than she could count, and yet the look on her face as she flitted between grinning at Dani and grinning at the forest around them made it seem like this was the first place she’d ever been. Like there was no place better, no place she was going after this. That look she was giving Dani was the way Dani felt as she lay in the woods at twilight and tried to sketch the trees. 

“Uh, yeah, maybe,” Aubrey replied, once Dani had forgotten what she’d even asked under the sheer weight of the possibility that maybe Aubrey wasn’t thinking about where she’d go next.  _ God, Dani, you’ve known her a day. You’re desperate.  _ She took a deep breath, and it did not make her any less desperate, so instead she reached out and took the blanket and half the bags away from Aubrey. “So, where’s the best place to do picnics around here? Uh, or in general? I haven’t. Actually been on all that many picnics. I mean, other than backyard picnics, but those are completely different. Well, I mean, your backyard is right next to the woods so I guess it’s not but- You know what, it doesn’t matter. What’s the plan?”

Dani tried to figure out a way to say  _ I have no idea  _ without starting down the philosophical train of thought that had distracted her the whole ride over. She glanced around – at the old, slightly waterlogged wooden sign with a trail map and advice on how to keep safe in the woods posted on it, at the rangers’ trucks parked in the corner of the lot opposite Aubrey’s Prius, at the tiny little rangers’ station. Thankfully, she was saved from having to answer as the window of the station slid open and a man peered out.

“Hey, you two, uh, takin’ those things someplace?”

It took a moment for Dani to place him, with his messy salt and pepper hair and the dark circles under his eyes. When she did, she nodded at him, giving him a polite smile.

“Yeah, Ranger Newton,” she said. He sighed.

“Duck, call me Duck. Everybody does.” He turned his gaze to Aubrey and said by way of explanation, “it’s a nickname.”

“ _ Oh _ ,” Aubrey said, sounding relieved, “I was worried your parents named you that.”

“Name my parents gave me was worse,” Duck said flatly. He didn’t sound angry, more like it was something he’d had to say so often he’d worn all the emotion out of the phrase. “Anyway. Hey, uh,” he squinted at Dani, “shit you’re, uh, the kid from the lodge. Dani, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you folk around here,” he said.

“Well, we’ve got lots of woods near our house,” Dani replied. There was a moment of silence, which Dani was pretty sure neither she nor Duck understood or appreciated. It was just that Dani had no clue how to place Duck Newton in the paradigm of  _ how to talk to people in Kepler _ . After all, she didn’t know a thing about him. Outside of the fact that she’d heard people talk about him when he’d swung back into town, at least.

Not a lot of people left Kepler, but when they did they didn’t come  _ back.  _

“I’m Aubrey!” Aubrey said, seemingly as unable to deal with the silence as the rest of them. “Also, this conversation seems like it’s going...bad. Can we, uh, start it over again?”

Duck laughed, a short laugh, leaning his elbows against the windowpane.

“Yeah, sure. That sounds great actually. So, you two takin’ those things someplace?”

“We’re going to have a picnic,” Dani replied. Duck squinted at them, like he was trying to figure out some kind of complex math problem. Then he sighed.

“Well then, I don’t suppose you’re plannin’ on cleaning up after yourselves?” He asked, voice heavy in a way that pretty much guaranteed he’d spent the four years since his return to town dealing with people that most definitely did  _ not  _ clean up after themselves. Dani nodded.

“Yeah,” Aubrey added, shifting Dr. Bonkers. “It’s…take only, um, pictures, leave only…”

“Footsteps,” Dani supplied, at about the same time as Duck. “We promise.”

“Alright, I’ll hold you to it. And if you don’t, well,” his mouth twisted, faintly regretful, “ah shit. I can’t say I’ll tell your ma, Dani. I ain’t gonna tell your ma. Just…don’t, please?” Dani nodded again. Duck nodded back. “Well, uh. Good talk, good talk. You goin’ up to the ridge?”

“The ridge?” Aubrey asked. “That sounds cool.”

Dani tried, once again, to avoid letting slip that she had no idea where anything was in this part of the forest. From the way Duck raised his eyebrow  _ just  _ a little, he seemed to have noticed. She smiled, trying to look casual and glanced over at Aubrey. Thankfully, she seemed to have missed the interaction.

“Yeah, if you take the path over down to the fork in the road, turn right and keep goin’ till the fallen tree, then hang a left, you’ll get to it. It’s where everyone goes to have picnics.” Duck paused, then added in a voice so quiet the soft summer breeze almost carried it away. “And none of them clean up their shit.”

“Okay, but where  _ don’t  _ people go to have picnics?” Aubrey asked.

“What?” 

“Yeah! This forest is super big, like, at least a hundred thousand miles, probably.”

“Nine hundred twenty-one acres, if you tally up the whole thing,” Duck said, as if it were an automatic reflex, “though you can’t get to all of it from here.”

“Then there’s gotta be some good picnic spots people don’t go to. I’d rather be there.”

Dani turned to her, and Aubrey smiled in her direction. Dr. Bonkers’ nose twitched in agreement.

“Well, I supposed I can’t argue with that kinda logic,” Duck said, sounding vaguely pleased. He hummed in thought. “I guess there’s the falls, if you head up to the fork in the road and go left, then keep goin’ till the T-intersection and turn right, then…” He trailed off, seemingly catching the sort-of-panicked expression on Dani’s face. “Here, lemme get you a map.”

He disappeared back into the station, reappearing a second later with a little pamphlet printed on glossy paper. A couple – stock photo pretty and wearing expensive hiking clothes – graced the cover, laughing as they walked a hilly trail that almost  _ certainly  _ wasn’t located anywhere near Kepler judging by the types of underbrush nearby. He unfolded it and there, in oversaturated tan, green, and blue, was a map of the nearby forest.

“Alright, the trail you’re lookin’ for is this one.” Duck pointed pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and began tracing a route with about four times more turns than Dani was comfortable memorizing. She spared a moment to be grateful Duck was on duty and not one of the forest rangers that’d come in to talk to her sixth grade biology class about the natural world. They would’ve been disappointed in her.

“Thank you,” Dani said, as he offered her the still unfolded pamphlet. She shifted the bags in her hands to take it. “Have a good day!” 

He saluted her casually, and as Aubrey leaned into her side to look at the map Dani thought she saw a flash of something on his face. Envy maybe, or just longing. He caught her watching him and flashed a tired smile, which Dani took as their signal to leave. 

As they walked through the woods, Dani began to regret all her years of avoiding the trails. Yes, the dirt paths were marred with the footsteps of dozens of careless hikers, veering off the path in a line of crushed ferns and bent saplings. But on this late summer day the trails were empty and the air was warm and tinged with the smell of pine, and then the trees opened up into a clearing dusted with buttercups.

Aubrey jogged out into the clearing and turned, gracefully falling into a cross-legged position as she did. Dr. Bonkers hopped out of her arms and began hopping in circles around her, and Dani barely resisted the urge to laugh. Then she realized she didn’t  _ need  _ to resist, and giggled.

“So, guess we didn’t need the blanket after all?” She said, making her way to Aubrey and trying to avoid Dr. Bonkers’ ardent attempts to trip her with his entire body. It was probably the mandatory square dancing she did in high school that gave her the acrobatic skill to avoid him, and she set her bag down with only a little bit of maneuvering.

“Oh, no, we definitely need it. It’s part of the picnic aesthetic,” for a moment, Aubrey’s expression was deadly serious, and then it broke into a smile that glinted in the sunlight. Dani shook out the picnic blanket, letting it settle on the ground between her and Aubrey. Aubrey scooched forward on the blanket and tapped her thigh. Dr. Bonkers hopped forward and climbed obediently into her lap.

“I didn’t know you could train rabbits like that,” Dani said as she knelt down onto the blanket, just a little bit closer than she would normally sit from another person. Aubrey shrugged, scratching Dr. Bonkers between the ears.

“You can teach rabbits a lot of things, if you respect their intellect and have patience.” Aubrey leaned forward and added, as if it were some great secret, “and Dr. Bonkers is  _ highly  _ educated, so he’s got no shortage of intellect.”

Dr. Bonkers’ purred in satisfaction and nestled further into Aubrey’s lap. Dani nodded, because despite the fact that didn’t one hundred percent make sense Aubrey said it in a way that made it  _ sound  _ like it made sense, which was really good enough. She reached into the bag beside her for the pair of sandwiches Aubrey had bought seemingly at random. They were both caprese, which wasn’t what Dani would have chosen but was also pretty much the only vegetarian kind Ms.-Minerva had, if she was remembering correctly. So she made do.

“So, what do people get up to, around here?” Aubrey asked after a few moments of chewing on her sandwich. “Well, I mean, specifically what do you do? Like, what do you like to do?” She sighed. “Sorry, I can talk like a normal person, I promise.”

Dani swallowed her laugh and took a bite of her sandwich, using the moment to come up with an answer that didn’t sound  _ too  _ boring.

“Art, mostly,” she said after a while. “I mean me and Jake play videogames, and sometimes he drags me out skiing, but mostly art.”

“Really?” Aubrey looked starry eyed at that, and Dani worried for a split second if she was going to ask for free commissions, like half of her friends in high school had at some point or another. But instead she just said “what kind?”

Dani hid her sigh of relief and shrugged.

“Oh, sketches, watercolors, paintings. All sorts of things. Art kind of…runs in the family.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Half the lodge is into, well, some kind of thing. Mama does woodcarving, and Moira…you haven’t met Moira yet, but she plays piano.” Dani frowned, counting out the lodge residents on her fingers. “Jeb and Callum, well. They’re always playing chess, but when they aren’t they’re the  _ best  _ at impressionist stuff, and Barclay won’t admit cooking’s an art but it  _ definitely  _ is. And Jake can do a triple backflip on a snowboard so that’s cool enough I’d call him an artist.”

“That’s cool! It must be, like, awesome to do collabs and stuff.” There was something faintly envious in the twist of Aubrey’s mouth, and Dani wondered what kind of family she had that made this seem so strange.

“We do sometimes. I mean, I think a lot of it is that there isn’t a lot to…do. Like I said, earlier. We’re sort of a small town, and we don’t get a lot of radio stations or TV channels so it’s sort of one of this situations where you have to,” she trailed off, realizing she’d never had to quantify it, never felt the need to justify it. She hadn’t prepared the words.

“Where you have to make your own fun?” Aubrey guess.

“That’s it. You’ve gotta make your own fun. And, I mean, everyone does that different ways. There’s, uh, some kids who like hanging out and causing trouble, and there’s people that hang out at the bar when they get off work. Art’s just always felt like…I never run out of things to draw, you know?” That wasn’t quite true. Sometimes there would be days where it felt like her brain had run dry like an overused pen. But that wasn’t art’s fault, that was her brain’s fault, and art was always willing to forgive her for her failings. Once she dragged herself through the block in her mind, there was always something waiting for her on the other side.

“That’s how I feel about magic!” Aubrey exclaimed. “I mean, there’s not infinite tricks  _ out there,  _ probably. But there’s always ways I could be doing them better. And every time you do a trick for the audience it’s different. Like,” Aubrey vaguely gestured with her hands in an attempt to communicate some vast and unexplainable concept. It didn’t work, and she seemed to realize it didn’t work, because a moment later she settled for words, “if I pulled Dr. Bonkers out of a hat for you, I wouldn’t do it the same way as if I pulled him out of a hat for a party full of  _ kids.  _ If I were doing it for you, I’d probably be like…”

Aubrey set her sandwich down, urging Dr. Bonkers out of her lap. Dani also set her lunch to the side. She watched as Aubrey’s face screwed up in concentration, and then the joy of inspiration washed over her face. It was swiftly followed by a charming smile. The kind of smile that, had thirteen year old Dani seen it on a TV actress, would have had her crushing for months.

“They say a magician never reveals her secrets. But that rule is only true of those magicians that have no  _ real  _ magic.” Aubrey reached out, palm up, and it took Dani a second for her brain to work enough to realize  _ she wants me to take her hand.  _ Then she did, and was promptly sent physically and mentally off balance as Aubrey pulled her gently forwards. She caught herself by bracing her free hand on Aubrey’s shoulder. “ _ I’ve _ got magic enough to share with you.” 

It was a cheesy line, a distant part of Dani’s brain noted. A very distant one, because most of her thoughts were distracted by Aubrey’s bright eyes, and then of Aubrey letting go of her hand, then of the solid weight of Aubrey’s palm settling on her hip. Aubrey took a deep, uneven breath, and her smile softened into something more personal. Something hopeful. Dani realized that, even with how close they were, they were much too far away from each other.

She climbed into Aubrey’s lap and kissed her, curling both hands into Aubrey’s lapels. Aubrey responded by wrapping her arms around Dani, one snaking up under her flannel, and Dani could feel Aubrey’s warmth through the thin cotton of her t-shirt. Dani bit Aubrey’s lip and leaned forward, bringing both of them to the ground.

“Alright,” Aubrey said, voice cracking, when Dani pulled ever so slightly away, “normally I would’ve done the trick, like, two entire minutes ago. But, uh,” she let out a shuddering laugh, “this works too.”

“You’re a dork, did you know that?” Dani asked, and didn’t wait for an answer as she leaned back down to press a kiss to Aubrey’s throat, just above her choker. Aubrey let out a soft, breathy laugh. Dani couldn’t tell whether it was because of the question or because she was ticklish. She decided to experiment, just to be sure, kissing a line up the side of Aubrey’s neck, then up her jaw.

Definitely ticklish. Dani grinned into Aubrey’s skin.

“You’re teasing me,” Aubrey whined, “this is unfair, I’m going to file a complaint.”

“I can stop, if you want,” Dani said into Aubrey’s ear. She felt Aubrey shiver at that, which was only fair after she had knocked Dani so off-kilter earlier.

“I never said that,” Aubrey said weakly, so Dani kissed her on the mouth again.

It was then that Dani smelled rotting meat. She pulled away from Aubrey, sitting up and hoping this wasn’t just her imagination. But no, Aubrey looked concerned too. 

“What-“ Dani began, and then she heard a grumbling roar. She turned her head in the direction of the noise just in time for a dark shape to drag itself out of the trees.

At first she thought  _ that’s a weird bear,  _ staring at its round face. She couldn’t place what was off about it, not until she realized its eyes were flat and expressionless, like lazily done taxidermy. Then there was another growl, but not from the bear’s mouth, and she processed the fact that there were  _ multiple  _ heads jutting out of its massive form, cats and dogs and birds protruding dead-eyed out of its torso and back. Then she processed the fact that every one of those heads was staring straight at her and Aubrey. She looked down and met Aubrey’s eyes, and she could see reflected in them her own thoughts:

_ Run. _

Dani stumbled off Aubrey, helping her to her feet and then keeping hold of her hand. Aubrey dipped down for a moment to allow Dr. Bonkers to climb into her free arm and held him close to her chest, and then they were off. Dani wished again that she had walked these trails before, because then she might have known where to go. Instead, she had no choice but to lead them into the brush, weaving through beech trees and stumbling over fallen logs. 

Her breath began to burn in her chest, in her throat, a coppery rawness that kept telling her to stop and take a rest. But she couldn’t, not with the pungent smell behind her. It seemed to be getting further away, the thing’s bulk slowing its steps. But they weren’t safe, she could tell in the way she could feel her heartbeat in her ears. This thing may have been slow, but it wouldn’t stop. Its dead eyes and many faces would never tire. 

They broke through the trees into another clearing, this time strewn with rocks and ending in a gaping cave mouth. To their left and right the ground dropped away, and even from a distance Dani was pretty sure that the slopes were only a few degrees of incline from being full on cliffs. 

Trapped. They were trapped. And probably going to die.

That didn’t stop Aubrey, who continued sprinting forward without so much as a stutter-step. Dani let herself be pulled along, to a large, jutting rock right next to the cave entrance. The two of them ducked behind it and Dani leaned against the cool, rough stone, catching her breath and wondering how long it would take the beast to come and eat them.

“Hey, Dani,” Aubrey said, squeezing Dani’s hand. “I’ve got a, uh, weird request.”

“Yeah?” 

Aubrey took a deep breath and turned to her, expression serious.

“I need you to trust me.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many things happen in this chapter.  
> Ty to Faiahae for my life (re: betaing) as usual. Also, sorry this took so long. I am...busy, and it’s hard for me to work on ongoing projects while mentally dying.


	6. Burning Silhouette

“I need you to trust me,” Aubrey said, eyes wide and gleaming in the sun. It took a moment for Dani’s brain to acknowledge the words, stuck on the image of that looming mass drawing closer to their too-small hiding spot. Then it got caught on the question of what tiny little Aubrey could do against something so big. Her mind hung there, trapped in the spiraling horror of human skin yielding under powerful jaws. But Aubrey looked so earnest that Dani couldn’t help but nod.

“Okay,” Dani said, voice more solid than it ought to be given the light, queasy feeling in her head. The false courage cut through the feeling somehow, gave her the clarity needed to catch the way Aubrey’s answering smile was a little nervous, and Dani realized they were both pretending to be brave, that they had to pretend. Nothing less than bravery would save them.  
“Hold this,” Aubrey said, working a varnished silver ring off her finger. She took Dani’s hand and gently pressed it into her palm.

At first, Dani was certain that she imagined the soft glow of Aubrey’s skin. Just a trick of the sunlight. Then she vaulted over the rock and she was the sun. Not just _like_ the sun, just golden eyes and glinting teeth, but a molten silhouette. Dani squeezed her eyes shut and Aubrey’s brilliance cut through her eyelids, casting a bright impression against the backs of them.  
A second passed. Then two. Dread coiled around Dani as the monster roared with a dozen animal voices.

“Good news!” Aubrey called out, voice giddy with relief. “It hates fire!” Dani let out a breath and with it half the tightness in her chest. She opened her eyes and carefully peered over the rock.

The figure standing between her and the monster was mostly Aubrey-shaped, and yet so very different. She stood with her arms outstretched to her sides, like a bird taking flight. Though, _like_ a bird was maybe an understatement.

Long pinfeathers hung from her arms, bright red cooling down to the ember-gold of Aubrey’s eyes. The orange shimmered in the light, gilded. _They’re like a magician’s cape_ , she thought, _and those tail feathers. Like a tailcoat. No, Dani. Stop. No poetic description until we’re out of mortal danger._

Aubrey curled her taloned fingers and flames ignited over them, spreading up her arms. They danced over her skin, not touching but hovering, and then she swept an arm forward and they rushed forward straight into the monster’s chest.  
It screamed, a dying bird and panicked elk and a furious bear in one. Dani gagged at the stench of burning, rotten flesh. The thing moved, much faster than its slow, inexorable trudging through the woods, and knocked Aubrey to the ground. She brought up her arms and fire arced around her in a bubble, but the creature was too full of rage to be shaken by further agony. It swung its massive claws at the barrier again and again, and with each swipe Dani thought she could see it sputter just a little.

Part of Dani, the part that sounded like Mama and wanted her to be sensible, told her to run. It would be distracted by Aubrey for at least a minute, just maybe enough time for her to find someplace to hide. She could go home, forget she’d seen those terrible, dead-eyed faces and that impossible burning woman. Maybe if she pretended well enough, she’d forget it was only pretending.

Dani crinkled her nose at that silly thought. There was a voice in her head that sounded like Mama and told her _be sensible_ , yes, but she had another voice that sounded like Mama which told her not to leave people behind. Dani scanned the clearing and the woods around it, and after a moment found…not a perfect solution, but one that at least wasn’t awful.

She slipped Aubrey’s ring in her pocket and crept forward, hand pressed against the rock as long as possible in the vain hope that pressure might stop it from trembling. She skirted around Aubrey and the creature, the air too hot to be comfortable, and then accidentally met Aubrey’s eyes through the weakening flames. It took moments she didn’t have to tear her eyes away, and before she did she mouthed those same words Aubrey had said to her. I need you to trust me.” She saw Aubrey take a shuddering, terrified breath, then nod. Dani continued on.

She reached her final destination: a tree branch which had been cracked off from the trunk by a terrible force. Dani picked it up, eyeing the jagged point on one end and hoping it was sturdy enough for her purposes. Then she moved back toward the monster with slow, careful steps.

 _This won’t work_ , a voice in her head that sounded like herself whispered, _it’s going to see you_. But it didn’t, too distracted by its would be vengeance, and soon she was standing directly in front of it.

This was stupid.

She was just a girl, a normal girl, whose martial experience extended only so far as wrestling Jake for the GameCube controller.

This wasn’t the sort of thing she did.

“Hey,” she said shakily. The creature looked up. Its main head, a bear with a gaping hole in one cheek, twisted into a snarl. It let out a growl, and shifted its weight to lunge.

Dani hefted her makeshift spear and drove it forward with all her strength. It drove into its throat, then down, protruding from the base of its neck with a gut-churning squelch. It growled, or gurgled, the vibration shaking the stick in her hands.  
Aubrey’s shield disappeared, as she let out a righteous yell.

“Let go,” Aubrey yelled, and Dani obeyed eagerly, stepping away and watching with hope tittering in her chest. Aubrey reached up and took hold of the branch and flames chewed hungrily at it, racing into the creatures mouth and down, down. Smoke billowed from the bear’s mouth, then the bird’s mouth beside it, then an elk and a bobcat, and eventually they were all breathing out noxious clouds. A glow spread beneath the rotting skin and Aubrey swore frantically.

The next thing Dani knew she was on the ground, face pressed into soft feathers on Aubrey’s chest. She looked over Aubrey’s shoulder and the air shimmered, like pavement on a hot day. Then there was an explosion, half boom and half organic popping, and a moment later fire consumed the air above them. Dani hid her face again, holding her breath and wishing in some stupid corner of her mind that she could enjoy this position more.

Then it was over. The air was dry and silent, save for her heartbeat and Aubrey’s quick breathing. Slowly, Aubrey stood. Her feathers shook, sending the ash which coated her back flying out behind her in a cloud. Then she reached out, carefully taking Dani’s hand – thankfully she was careful, her talons looked even sharper up close – and helping her up.

Dani turned once, taking in the clearing. The grass was scorched around them, still smoldering mere inches from the tree line. She swallowed, imagining the whole of her forest and her town up in flames. She shook that thought away and looked over Aubrey’s head at where the monster had been and found only desolation, a shallow crater where the earth had been pummeled away. Something bumped against the back of her leg. Dr. Bonkers, strangely and thankfully safe. He bumped against her again as if to say _you’re alive, it’s over, you’re safe._

“Holy shit,” she breathed, adrenaline and fear draining out of her.

“Holy shit,” Aubrey repeated. Then she let out a bright, disbelieving laugh. “That was…that was the coolest.”

Dani found herself laughing along. As the laughter petered off into simple contentment, relief, Dani found herself lost in the way Aubrey’s feathers ruffled ever so slightly as she laughed.

“You’re…” she trailed off, unable to think of a word to encompass this situation. Aubrey’s mouth turned down into an anxious curve.

“I’m, yeah, I’m not human…” she pursed her lips, hands flexing nervously. “Sorry for not being honest, I-“

“Amazing,” Dani finished, reaching up to rest a hand on Aubrey’s cheek, noting the gold glimmer of her skin where the light caught it.

“Oh.” Aubrey swallowed, eyes wide as Dani trailed her fingers down Aubrey’s face, noting the way Aubrey’s breath hitched as Dani touched the triangle of downy white feathers beginning at her collarbone. Aubrey reached up to cover Dani’s hand with one of her own, talons tickling but not breaking skin. It struck Dani that this would be a good time for a kiss, and it seemed to strike Aubrey too. Just as they were both leaning forward, however, Aubrey tensed, feathers bristling. She looked over her shoulder and went still again, just as she had when staring at the hot springs.

“Do you still have my ring?” She asked. Dani nodded, fishing it out of her pocket. She took Aubrey’s hand and slipped it on her finger. There was no fanfare this time, no glow. Just Aubrey, human again, shifting to stand by Dani’s side just as Duck Newton emerged from the trees.

“Hey, uh, you two wanna tell me what’s going on here?”

His expression was so bewildered, so harmless, that Dani nearly told him everything, or at least everything about the monster. But she’d seen enough movies and heard enough people talking about Ned Chicane over on the edge of town to know how she’d look, standing there with no physical evidence. None except Aubrey, stiff against her side and gripping her hand too tightly. Dani had seen enough movies and parsed the fear in Aubrey’s eyes when she thought Dani might reject her enough to know what could happen if she made use of that evidence.

“We were, um, walking,” Dani began, glancing around the clearing for some excuse aside from and then Aubrey turned into a bird woman and set everything on fire, “and we saw…” There, something shining and twisted, lodged between some roots which were exposed by the blast. “We saw that metal sticking out of the ground.”

“Yeah!” Aubrey added, “we decided to try and pick it up because, you know, trash in the woods. That’s bad!”

“But then it started making noises, so we ran away.”

“It started…making noises.” Duck didn’t believe them, and as with everything about him this disbelief was permeated with exhaustion. “Some metal thing, in that hole. It started making noises?”

“Mhm!” Aubrey said. Thankfully, she sounded confident. “And then it exploded!”

Duck squinted and began making his way toward them. Dani smiled, face and hands stiff as she hoped Kepler PD upheld its tradition of not having the budget to actually investigate crimes. Nobody got hurt, hell, not even trees got hurt. Just some grass and a lot of dirt. Sheriff Nealey probably wouldn’t even bother looking into it.

Duck circled around the crater and came to a stop next to them, crouching down and leaning forward to examine it. Then he stood quickly, practically hopping as he backpedaled away from the hole.

“Shit,” he whispered, reaching for the radio on his belt.

Dani met Aubrey’s eyes. Aubrey tilted her head meaningfully, letting go of Dani’s hand, and the two of them knelt as one to examine the crater.

“Hey, uh, this is Duck speakin’.”

Dani’s first thought was that they were most likely screwed, on account of the scrap of metal was smaller than it had seemed at first glance. Then she caught the edge of panic in Duck’s voice and looked closer. Which was, as it turned out, a mistake. She felt distant in her own body as she fell back, barely hearing as Aubrey worriedly called out her name.

“Yeah. Yeah, we…we got a bit of a situation.”

The dirt-covered, fire-blackened things which jutted out of the earth were not, in fact, roots. They were a pair of entwined, skeletal arms.

 


End file.
